الحمد لله وكفى وسلام على عباده الذين اصطفى الحمد لله منشىء الخلق من عدم ثم الصلوةعلى المختار فى القدم يا رب صل وسلم دائما ابدا على بشير نذير محمدا مولاي صل ؤسلم دائما ابدا على طه سيد المرسلين بلغ سلامى روضة فيها النبى المحترم يا خير من دفنت بالقاع اعظمه فطاب من طيبهن القاع والاكم روحي الفداء لقبر انت ساكنه فيه العفاف وفيه الجود والكرم هو الحبيب الذي ترجى شفاعته لكل هول من الاهوال مقتحم يا رب بلغ بالمصطفى مقاصدنا واغفر لنا ما مضى يا واسع الكرم اما بعد فقد قال الله تبارك وتعالى اعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
قل اطيعوا الله والرسول وقال وما اٰتاكم الرسول فخذوه وما نهاكم عنه فانتهوا وقال النبي صلّى الله عليه وسلم يا أيها الناس إني قد تركت فيكم ما إن اعتصمتم به فلن تضلوا أبدا : كتاب الله و سنة نبيه صلى الله عليه و سلم
GRADUATING FROM THE ALIM COURSE
May Allah Ta’ala reward Ml Ahmad Pandor Saheb, the Asaatizah, all the donors, etc. that today we have Jalalain Sharif and Mishkaat Sharif being completed. In previous times, a student would graduate as an Alim by completing Mishkaat Sharif. It is only later that the six authentic books of Hadith were introduced into the Alim course. The student that completed Mishkaat Sharif would be regarded as a Faadhil, in our terms, one that has achieved a master degree or honours in PHD, this is just for us to understand else there isn’t any comparison between the two.
Allah Ta’ala has blessed us with the Quraan Sharif which is such a great Kitaab but we don’t know how to make Shukr, neither do we have the tongue, heart or brains to express gratitude. Allah Ta’ala says, “Verily, We have revealed the Quraan and We are the protectors of the Quraan.” The protection of the Quraan doesn’t only refer to Hifz of the Quraan, and in actual fact, it is not the Hafiz that protects the Quraan rather the Quraan Sharif protects the Hafiz. In reality, Allah Ta’ala is Haafiz, Aalim, Mufti, but due to our studying the title is given to us as well. Now people address us as Hafiz Saheb, Maulana, Mufti, etc. Some people feel that there is Shirk in calling another human being Maulana, but the Quraan states,
فان الله هو مولاه وجبريل وصالح المؤمنين
Verily Allah is his (Rasulullah’s) protecting friend, and Jibraeel and the righteous believers.
The righteous believers are also referred to as Maulana in this verse. In the Hadith Sharif, Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam told one of the Sahaaba R.A, “You are our Maula.” Hadrat Umar R.A. told Hadrat Hassan Basri R.A., “You are our Maulana.” There is therefore no harm in using this title. These students have completed Quraan Sharif, which is a Sifat of Allah Ta’ala. Allah Ta’ala is that being that is infinite, there is no ending point to any quality of Allah Ta’ala. We are therefore taught in the Dua to say, “O Allah! You are as You have praised yourself.” Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam used to make Dua saying, “O Allah! I have not recognised You as I ought to have recognised You.” Who can recognise Allah c more than Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam? Every quality of Allah Ta’ala is as great as Allah c, His knowledge, kindness, forgiveness, etc. cannot be comprehended by us.
THE VIRTUE OF THIS UMMAT
One great favour of Allah Ta’ala is that Allah Ta’ala has created the human being. The last Hadith of Mishkaat explains the virtue of this Ummat over the previous Ummats. Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam is the Imaam of all the Ambiyaa, thus this Ummat is the leader of all the previous Ummats. In another narration of Mishkaat the example of this Ummat is mentioned, a person works from Fajr till Zuhr and receives one Qiraat as remuneration, another works from Zuhr until Asr and receives one Qiraat as remuneration, and a third person works from Asr until Maghrib and receives 2 Qiraat as remuneration. The first person refers to the Jews, the second refers to the Christians and the third is this Ummat of Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam. The lifespan of this Ummat is short, thus they work very little but earn the most.
Once Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam mentioned three Ambiya of the past that have made Ibaadat and strived in the path of Allah for 1000 months; which caused the Sahaaba to be grieved as the lifespan of this Ummat is so short and therefore we will not be able to compete with them. On this occasion Surah Qadr was revealed, in which Allah c says that the night of Qadr is better than a thousand months. Maualana Thanvi r has written that if a person performs the Esha Salaah of the night of Qadr with Jamaat, he will certainly attain the reward of Lailatul Qadr. We should ensure that we are punctual with the Esha and Fajr Salaah with Jamaat throughout the year. By doing so, we will get the reward of spending every night in Ibaadat.
CORRECTING OUR SALAAH
We have just passed the month of Rajab, it is quite famous that the 27th of Rajab was the night when Me’raj had taken place. The sum total of Me’raj is Salaah which is a gift from Allah Ta’ala. Therefore, we should correct our Salaah in Rajab. There are 4 aspects of Salaah that I normally explain, the first being Wujood-e-Salaah which means that we should be punctual with the five daily Salaah, the second aspect pertains to our missed Salaah, we should try and cover up by performing our missed Salaah. A supplier withholds new order from the client; he doesn’t supply any goods until the previous balance is settled. How would Allah Ta’ala bless a person that does not perform his missed Salaah! May Allah Ta’ala save us from leaving the world in a state that we have outstanding Salaah. The third aspect pertains to the outward condition of our Salaah. The postures of Salaah are not correct, the manner we make Takbeer-e-Tahreema is not correct, etc. Lastly, the inner quality of Salaah is most important. We try and attain this condition, we endeavour to bring concentration into our Salaah but very soon this is lost.
Let us look at the level of concentration in the Salaah of our Akaabireen! Hadrat Madni R.A. was once performing Salaah at home where there was a creeper plant that was growing. A snake had appeared from the creeper plant which was above his head and was perhaps 30-50 cm away from his head. The ladies were unable to do much, so they called for some men from outside who killed the snake. Maulana was totally oblivious of the situation and continued with his Salaah. A few leaves of the creeper had fallen down, and due to Maulana’s particular interest in plants, he enquired as to who broke the leaves (when he completed his Salaah). He was then informed of the snake but remained cool and calm. What is our condition? How do we perform Salaah? If only we could get a single moment in which we can perform Salaah in this manner. This was Hadrat Madni’s daily practice.
Hadrat Maulana Khair Muhammad Saheb Jaalandari R.A. had invited Hadrat Maulana Hussain Ahmad Madni Saheb R.A for a programme prior to the India and Pakistan partition. It was a lengthy journey and they had travelled through the night by train. The train had stopped at Fajr time to change engines which generally takes quite a bit of time. Hadrat led the Fajr Salaah in which he recited Alif Laam Meem Sajda and Surah Dahr, whilst performing their Salaah the conductor blew the whistle, waived the flag indicating that the train is about to depart and even called them to board. However, Hadrat continued with the Salaah. After Salaah, Hadrat was asked, “You could have shortened the Salaah yet you continued.” Hadrat replied that he was totally oblivious of the happenings around him. This is termed as concentration in Salaah.
A BRIGHT FUTURE
I see a bright future as far as Deen in concerned looking at the condition of our youngsters, Insha’Allah. Lately, a young Alim was involved in an accident, lost his wife and child, yet on the day of the Janaazah he went to classes to teach. Logically, a person stays at home at such a time. When I look at the young Ulema with great qualities, the work of Dawat and Tabligh, I see a bright future ahead Insha’Allah. There are evil people also, but those on the righteous path are truly progressing. There was a Jamaat working in the villages in India. As they entered one village, they heard plenty of swearing, shouting, screaming, etc. The Amir was a young person and enquired about the noise, but the guide said, “Dont worry about the noise, let us continue to the Masjid else we will get hurt amongst these people.” The Amir insisted that they go to the house. They found a young person that was addicted to alcohol, he was fastened down and therefore swearing his parents. They opened him, embraced him and took him to the Masjid saying, “You are our brother.” He was the first to give his name for forty days. We are seeing the dark side of things whereas I see a very bright future.
In the 60’s, Mufti Shafi’ee Saheb R.A. came to South Africa and was hosted by the people of Krugersdorp as Azaadville was not in existence. When Mufti Saheb R.A. was leaving, the elderly people told him, “We fear that our children won’t remain upon Islam.” Around this period the Muslims were down globally to such an extent that things weren’t too bright even at the Haramain. Hadrat Mufti Saheb R.A. said, “There will be a Darul Uloom here, referring to the Krugersdorp / Azaadville area.”Today, the elderly people around say, “We are witnessing the Dua of Mufti Saheb r.”
Allah Ta’ala had created the body in fact He created every part of the body. For the eye, there are so many specialists. Similarly, there are so many specialists that are responsible for attending to the needs of the heart. We were always told that cholesterol is not good. Today, doctors claim that cholesterol is an entire chemist comprising of so many things. We have our arteries, liver, kidneys, joints of the body, the nervous system, the digestive system, etc. Allah Ta’ala is the sole creator and controller of all these things. Nothing can function correctly without the permission of Allah, and if something goes wrong it cannot be corrected without the permission of Allah Ta’ala. Bhai Abdul Wahhab Saheb D.B. says, “When you go to your shop in the morning then say, my shop cannot do anything, only Allah can do.” The same should be done when taking medication. Allah doesn’t need Asbaab (means), He can do without Asbaab and He can do against Asbaab. A fire generally burns but was unable to burn Ibrahim Alaihis Salaam. This is an example of doing something against Asbaab.
Alhamdulillah, the Tafseer of Quraan has been completed today. Our students and graduates are serving throughout the globe, May Allah Ta’ala accept these students as well. Today three students have completed, how many will graduate this year in Isipingo, Zakariyya, Azaadville, etc. When I graduated and returned to South Africa approximately 50 years ago, there wasn’t a single woman in Burqa. Today, even little girls are wearing Burqa. Umrah was hardly heard of, if someone made Umrah, he was referred to as Haji Saheb as he was perhaps the only one that went for Umrah. In those days, keeping a beard was a big thing. A man named Abdus Samad was addressed as Sam, whereas this is a serious issue. Samad is the name of Allah Ta’ala and we changed Allah’s name. Abdul Gaffaar used to be Gaf. Alhamdulillah, today the names of Sahaaba are being revived. There is a bright future. This institute and all other institutes, the Khanqahs, Tabligh Jamaats, Maraakiz, etc. indicate towards a very bright future Insha’Allah. Allah c has taken the responsibility to protect Islam and Allah Ta’ala is doing the work here at Madrasah Baitul Khair. Lessons of Tafseer and Hadith amongst many other sciences are being imparted.
AHADITH EXPLAINS QURAAN
The Ahadith are the explanation of the Qureaan Sharif. Imaam Shafi R.A. says that the Quraan is more in need of the Ahadith than what the Ahadith is in need of the Quraan Sharif. This is like the Kalimah ‘La Ilaha Illalla Muhammadur Rasulullah ’. A person will never reach ‘La Ilaha Illalla’ until he enters from the door of ‘Muhammad ur Rasulullah’, without ‘Muhammad ur Rasulullah’ a person will get involved in Shirk and Bid’aat. Similarly, a person cannot understand Quraan until he understands it in the light of Hadith. One Alim explained that there is a difference between Hadith and Sunnah.
What is Sunnat and what is Hadith?
We usually consider both these aspects as the same thing. I wish to also explain the importance of Sunnat in comparison to Hadith. In many Ahadith we will read “Alaikum bi sunnati Wa sunnatil khulafaair Rashidin,” “Man ahyah sunnati faqad ahyani.” There are many Riwayaat where Rasulullah g has commanded us to follow the Sunnat.
Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam is reported to have said,
فعليكم بسنّتي وسنّةِ الخلفَاءِ الراشِدينَ المهديِّينَ ، تمسكوا بها ، وعَضُّوا عليها بالنواجِذِ ، وإياكم ومُحدثاتِ الأمورِ ، فإنَّ كلَّ مُحدثَةٍ بدْعةٌ ، وكل بدْعَةٍ ضَلاَلَة
Hold firmly onto my Sunnat and the Sunnat of the rightly guided Khulafaa, hold onto it and bite onto it with the molars, and beware of inventing new things, for verily every invention is a Bid’ah, and every Bid’ah is misguidance
In another Hadith,
فمن أحيا سنتي فقد أحبني
Whoever revives a Sunnat has certainly loved me
We have been commanded to follow the Sunnat of Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam and hold firmly onto the Sunnat. We will not find a narration that states,
“Hold firmly onto the Hadith.”
There is a distinction between the two. The Sunnat, is established from the Ahadith. Sunnat refers to the lifelong way of life of Rasulullah g and the Hadith is the proof of this. Thereafter, we will find some Hadith contradicting the general way or habit of Rasulullah g. This is where many people make mistakes and follow the Hadith.
LIFE LONG PRACTICE OF RASULULLAH SALALLAHU ALAIHI WASALLAM VERSUS AN ISOLOATED INCIDENT
An example of this is that on one occasion Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam performed Salaah without a Topie. The reason for this was because he used the Topie as a Sutraa on that occasion. The daily lifelong practice, the Sunnah practice of Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam was to perform Salaah with a topie. The Muhadditeen have written certain chapters in their Kitaabs discussing the Topie of Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam.
If we have to apply logic to one occasion then we can consider this example,
Our Imaam in this Masjid always wears his Topie, however whilst on a journey his two year old child removed his Topie and it flew out of the window of the vehicle. The time for Zuhr Salaah set in and he had to stop for Salaah but he does not have his Topie. Must he miss his Zuhr Salaah because he doesn’t have his Topie or must he perform Salaah without his Topie? He will perform Salaah without his Topie on this occasion. One of his Musallies saw him performing Salaah without Topie and decided he is going to follow this practice.
This is the attitude of those that have the incorrect understanding or little or no understanding. They took an isolated incident and made it a practice. If a person insists that he wants to perform Salaah without a Topie, then he should remain in the state of Ihraam, because when one is in Ihraam then we are commanded by Allah Ta’ala to perform Salaah without a Topie.
On another occasion Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam performed Salaah with shoes whereas he would normally perform Salaah without shoes. There are details with regard to the entrances of the Masajid during the time of Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam, that there was place for keeping one’s shoes. It was not only the practice of Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam through out his life, but the practice of the whole Ummat to perform Salaah without shoes. In every country throughout the world, we will find shoe racks at the entrances. However, there is an isolated Hadith of Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam, where Rasulullah g performed Salaah with shoes, do we hold onto this one Hadith and cancel the major life practice of Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam, what type of logic is this?
Once Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam had to stand and urinate. Due to this isolated incident, the lifelong practice of Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam is ignored.
Is this regarded as common sense?
Which type of following of Quraan and Hadith is this?
This is when people are either doing things out of ignorance, or they are following their desires, or they are trying to be different. They will even show you proof from Bukhari Sharif. They will quote the page and volume number yet they discard the lifelong practice of Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam.
The Hadith is to understand the Quraan Sharif. Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam said, “I leave you with two things.” If you hold firm onto these two things you will never go astray after me. The one being Kitaabullah and the other is my Sunnat. However, it is beyond our capacity to understand Quraan Sharif directly.
KNOWING THE CIRCUMSTANCES AND CONTEXT
An example is that many people know that when I deliver a lecture I require water. If water was not arranged and I asked for water, what utensil will the water be given to me in, in a glass. If I had entered the toilet and there wasn’t any water, and I asked someone from inside the toilet to bring me water, in what will they bring it? They will bring it in a jug because it is for Istinja purposes. The person that is present would know exactly how to present the water on each occasion.
If a person was not present, he would present water in a toilet jug for drinking and in a glass at the toilet. This is termed as circumstantial evidence. Therefore in order to understand Hadith, a person must know the circumstances and the situation. If we do not know this, then we will not understand the Hadith.
Another example is, a father was about to leave the world. He had a son that was studying at university so he left behind a bequest for the son and added some advices to it, he said, “My first advice is that you must go to work in the shade and return in the shade. Secondly, you must eat the best food, and thirdly you must make a new Nikah every month.”
After reading the father’s bequest, the son built a shady cover from his house to his work. He would leave at approximately 11:00 for work and return late afternoon in the shade. Then he commanded his wife to cook the best of foods, as this was the father’s request. However the father’s third bequest was a bit difficult to carry out. How is he going to get married every month?
He decided to consult with his father’s secretary. The secretary had spent a considerable amount of time in his father’s company and had understood the father’s temperament. The secretary told him, “You have not understood a single advice of your father’s”
The first advice meant, “You should leave for work before sunrise and return after sunset.” That is, you should work very hard and tirelessly. The second advice meant, “You should eat only when you are hungry.” When a person is hungry then he will relish the simplest of food. The third advice of your father means, “You should have relations with your wife once a month.” In this way a person will get the enjoyment of having a new Nikaah being performed every month.
We need to learn Quraan and Hadith from those that learnt from their seniors, who in turn learnt from their seniors, and so forth until we are linked with Sahaaba who learnt from Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam. This is termed as Sanad which is a speciality of this Ummat.
THE SUPERIORITY OF ISLAMIC KNOWLEDGE
We were having a discussion on the visa issue, Maulana Hassan Murchie Saheb of Pietermaritzburg said that our students that recite Quraan Sharif are equivalent to ‘BA.’ We are required to recite Quraan Sharif in a good voice, but we should not sing the Quraan. He then explained that for those that study music and singing, they also acquire a PHD. We have seven Qiraats, seven different modes of recitation.
He said, “This is an occasion for us to expose our knowledge and let the world know who we actually are.” A Hafiz student is told to recite in a particular place and he is able to read, if he is told to recite after a couple of pages he is able to recite, they must bring us a PHD or BA graduate that can equal the Hafiz student. The eight year old boy knows all the rules of Tajweed when reciting just as they have rules in music. We haven’t recognised who we actually are, we are suffering from an inferiority complex. In the field of Tafseer, how many Kitaabs don’t we have! How many commentaries have been written on Bukhari Sharif alone! These are great treasures that Allah Ta’ala has given us.
We haven’t understood our own value. We regard it necessary for our children to attend university. What we have is actually Ilm. In one book of philosophy, the first chapter states, “Did we create god or did god create us?”
In a foreign country, I met a student that was studying history for approximately 25 years. I told him to explain the history of man; he immediately explained Darvins theory of evolution. This is now being taught at pre-school level. Some people came from Makkah Sharif who said that Darvin’s theory of evolution is taught in the schools of Makkah Sharif.
I then asked the same student, “How did the world come into existence?” He explained the big bang theory. If I drop a glass on the floor, there is a small bang but the glass breaks. How can there be a big bang and the world comes into existence?
THE FUQAHA AND MUHADDITEEN
Then came the time of the Fuqaha who extracted from the Quraan and Hadith and presented everything in a plate for us. This is like being invited for meals where lovely Biryani and roast is being served, but you go with your brown bread and Rooibos. We were simply required to attend and eat the food that was prepared for us. The Fuqaha have done the work for us so that we may act upon it, but we want to research all over again.
There was a time when the Muhadditeen had to sift out the fabricated and unauthentic narrations from the authentic narrations and how well did they fulfil this duty. The Janaazah of Imaam Abu Hanifa and Imaam Ahmad R.A. left from prison cells. Why? They sacrificed their lives for the protection of Deen. The Ulema are sacrificing up until this day. They are not being paid for their sacrifices. Their salaries are merely for them to live as they are also human beings that have needs as other human beings. If our intention is to acquire wealth, we should adopt some other occupation. Studying the knowledge of Deen is not for acquiring wealth.
We should encourage our youngsters to study as well. In previous times one would experience great difficulties in becoming a Hafiz. Nowadays, the youngsters are becoming Huffaz with ease, and they are graduating as good Huffaz and reciting correctly with Tajweed. In previous times, one would have to go to India to be an Alim. What difficult conditions they were subjected to? When I wanted to go and study, my father spoke to Maulana Akhalwaya of Springs who said, “Let him get used to it here first, he will die there.” Today, we have facilities at our doorstep Alhamdulillah, which makes things so much easier for our students to study. The knowledge of Deen is the true knowledge; we should learn Deen, practice Deen, teach and propagate Deen.
